By: Camp Correspondent
24 June 2025 | Sittwe, Rakhine State
Rohingya refugees living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Sittwe Township are facing a growing humanitarian crisis, as food aid has remained suspended for nearly a year.
Until June 2024, the World Food Programme (WFP) was providing regular food assistance to 11 Rohingya IDP camps in the area. However, renewed conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar’s military has forced almost all international and local aid organizations to withdraw, leaving camp residents without essential supplies.
An estimated 140,000 Rohingya still live in these camps. With no access to stable work and no food distributions, most families are now relying on neighbors, informal borrowing, or going hungry.
“We go from house to house asking for help,” said a Rohingya woman from Bodubba camp. “Many families have nothing. It’s very difficult. We need the aid to come back.”
Community reports suggest that nearly 90% of households are facing serious hardship, and around 60% are suffering from malnutrition. Children and the elderly are among the most affected.
Another camp resident shared how families are falling deeper into debt:
“People are borrowing money with high interest just to buy rice. But when the aid returns, we will still have these debts—and it won’t be enough to recover.”
Alongside the hunger, refugees say there has been a rise in thefts and small-scale crime inside the camps, as desperation grows.
Camp leaders and families are urging aid organizations and the international community to resume food assistance without delay, warning that the situation may worsen quickly if no action is taken.
